Reuse of single-use medical devices: how often does this still occur in Australia?

• 1 Hunter Area Pathology Service, University of Newcastle)
• 2 Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, John Hunter Hospital, Locked Bag 1, Newcastle, NSW 2310.

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• 1. Collignon PJ, Dreimanis DE, Beckingham WD. Reuse of single-use medical devices: how often does this still occur in Australia? [letter]. Med J Aust 2003; 179: 115-116. <MJA full text>
• 2. Standards Australia. AS/NZS 4187: 2003. Cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing reusable medical and surgical instruments and equipment, and maintenance of associated environments in health care facilities. Sydney: Standards Australia, 2003.
• 3. Laurenson IF, Whyte AS, Fox C, Babb JR. Contaminated surgical instruments and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Lancet 1999; 354: 1823.
• 4. Ayzman I, Dibs SR, Goldberger J, et al. In vitro performance characteristics of reused ablation catheters. J Interv Card Electrophysiol 2002; 7: 53-59. [Many other studies have been referenced; contact authors for details.]
• 5. Druce JD, Russell JS, Birch CJ, et al. A decontamination and sterilization protocol employed during reuse of cardiac electrophysiology catheters inactivates human immunodeficiency virus. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2003; 24: 184-190.
• 6. Hughes CF. Reuse of single-use medical devices in sterile sites: how often does this still occur in Australia? [letter]. Med J Aust 2003; 179: 116. <eMJA full text>